Light and Fresh Lasagna
Makes 9 3-inch square pieces
1 pound Lasagna noodles (do not use "no-boil" noodles)
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced or use a garlic press
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with onion and roasted garlic
3 4-ounce balls of fresh mozzarella, torn up into little pieces
a handful of slivered fresh basil
freshly grated Parmesan
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Fill a very large pot 2/3 full with water: salt, cover and bring to a boil.
Butter a deep, square baking dish. The one I use is the large Anchor Hocking dish...9x9 and 2 1/2-inches deep.
Make Sauce:
Place the olive oil, salt, Cayenne pepper and garlic in a pan and saute over medium-high heat for about minute. Add the tomatoes and slowly bring to a simmer as well. Remove from heat. Add more salt and adjust seasoning if needed. Set aside.
Cook Pasta:
Boil the pasta for about 8 minutes, don't overcook. Once cooked, drain and run under cold water to stop cooking process.
Assemble Lasagna:
Lightly cover the bottom of the baking dish with a bit of the sauce. Next a layer of lasagna noodles (I had to cut 1/3 off of each noodle so the would fit perfect). Now a thin layer of sauce, and a bit of cheese. Then pasta, sauce, pasta, sauce and cheese. Pasta, sauce, pasta, sauce and cheese. Keep going until you've used up all the pasta. You want to cover the top layer of lasagna with sauce and the very last of the cheese so you have a nice cheesy top. You could sprinkle a little Parmesan on top too.
Bake until everything is melted and fragrant, 35 minutes or so. Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with Parmesan and slivered basil.
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